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Space Station Assembly

The Expedition 11 crew aboard the International Space Station flexes the robotic arm, Canadarm2, while flying approximately 225 miles above Cape Horn. Image Credit: NASA.

Launched on STS-100 in April 2001, the next generation robot arm, called Canadarm2, is a bigger, better, smarter version of the robotic arm that was on the space shuttles. It is 57.7 feet long when fully extended and has seven motorized joints. This arm is capable of handling large payloads and helped build the entire orbiting complex. It has latches on either end, allowing it to be moved by both ground controllers and the Expedition crews to various portions of the station. It has even been used to move astronauts around during spacewalks.

The Mobile Base System is a work platform that moves along rails covering the length of the space station. It provides lateral mobility for the Canadarm2 as it traverses the main trusses. It has four grapple fixtures on board that can hold cargo carriers, Canadarm2 and Dextre. The Mobile Base System was added to the station during STS-111 in June 2002.

Moves
end-over-end to reach many parts of International Space
Station in an inchworm-like movement; limited only by
number of Power Data Grapple Fixtures (PDGFs) on the station.
PDGFs located around the station provide power, data and
video to the arm through its Latching End Effectors (LEEs).
The arm can also travel the entire length of the space
station on the Mobile Base System.

Fixed
Joint

Fixed
to the shuttle by one end.

No
fixed end. Equipped with LEEs at each end to provide power,
data and video signals to arm.